International Trade

SELECTED WORKS

MONUMENTAL METAL

CLIENT: Mejiro Kindergarten; Wada Minoru Gakuen

LOCATION: Tokyo, Japan

OUTLINE: The redesign and build of one of Tokyo’s longest running early education systems Wada Minoru Gakuen (Mejiro Institute of Education and Child Development), A new learning institution for both educators and children in Mejiro, Tokyo’s prestigious Ivy League academic district. I worked with architect and respected material specialist Mr. Suguru Koda who designed the building to create an artwork on the public facing facade which also was in the path of Tokyo’s most populated train line, The Yamanote Line. This would also be the first visible building when exiting the Mejiro Station.

OUTCOME: I transformed one of my photographs in to the worlds largest three dimensional ASCII art. Within the text characters that composed the image were messages about education in both English and Japanese. These messages would “project” onto the corridors of the five story building throughout the day and change with the seasons, depending on the position of the sun. The exterior would be a puzzle to discover words and messages within the monumental five story image. This was an effort to make a permanent artwork with transient qualities that would never get boring.

BONDI RESCUE

CLIENT: The Eastern Hotel, Westfield Bondi Junction

LOCATION: Sydney, Australia

OUTLINE: The Eastern Hotel just finished a $24 million dollar renovation project renewing the 4 floors of the building in to 4 distinct dining operations, one on each floor. After 6 months, only 1 of the 4 restaurants in the venue was proving to be successful. The other 3 restaurants were costing the company over $500,000 a month in losses. The client needed a solution fast to avoid going into closure.

OUTCOME: A major rebrand of the first and second floor dining operations in to one of Sydney’s go-to place for American style burgers with an Australian slant. The Goodtime brand was created and infused with surf influences and cheeky language that matched the targeted Australian demographic. The rebranding effort included iconic brand imagery & slogans, photogenic interiors, successful viral advertising campaigns, local contests and competitions. The viral ad was publicized in 8 countries and 5 languages across multiple mass media channels.

STRATEGY

RESEARCH

GRAPHIC DESIGN

COPYWRITING

ART DIRECTION

WEBSITE

ADVERTISING

MARKETING

PEOPLE. PLANET. PETS

CLIENT: Private

LOCATION: Australia

OUTLINE: The Our Nature brand of health goods for pets was conceived, developed and designed by Rikki Kasso. The start up company quickly became a consumer favorite among pet owners throughout Australia; having a wide range of distribution with both the health food market and pet care. The concept for this brand was a combination of the two elements Kasso is passionate about, natural health and dogs.

BRAND IDENTITY

ILLUSTRATION

PACKAGE DESIGNSTRATEGY

ART DIRECTION

WEBSITE

ADVERTISING

MERCHANDISING

PET HOUNDS

CLIENT: Zeppee App

LOCATION: Australia

OUTLINE: Zeppee is the “tinder” of pet adoption, a mobile app platform to re-home rescue animals in Australia. The client came to me needing an identity for the app as well as effective PR and marketing strategies to launch the application in Australia.

OUTCOME: For the launch I created the brand language, visual aesthetic, targeted creative campaigns and content to generate new users. Also during the contract, I facilitated the alignment of Zeppee with a sole sponsor from Australian Pet Insurance and created a user base of over 100k new users in the first month.

STRATEGY

RESEARCH

GRAPHIC DESIGN

COPYWRITING

ART DIRECTION

WEBSITE

ADVERTISING

MARKETING

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

CLIENT: CIA Brand Architect Group

LOCATION: Worldwide

OVERVIEW:Created for the CIA Brand Architect Group, “What is the Answer?” An eco-centric way of communicating the issues we face with the current global waste and consumption patterns. Using 100% organic vegetables and food materials to appropriate the core values and missions of the client company. Truly organic art with a purpose!

CONCEPT

PHOTOGRAPHY

ANIMATION

COPYWRITING

SOUND DESIGN

PRODUCTION MANAGMENT

COLORFUL PAST

CLIENT: Uslu Airlines Cosmetics

LOCATION: Worldwide

OVERVIEW: Uslu Airlines is a Berlin-based luxury cosmetics brand, loved by professional makeup artists across the globe, for its advanced high-quality formulas and range of fantastic colors, Uslu Airlines sets global beauty trends.

During my time with Uslu Airlines, I served as a creative partner which grew into a business partner relationship. In 2005, I managed to launch the brand in Japan under Uslu Airlines Japan and in 2011 brought the brand to Australia, New Zealand under Uslu Airlines Oceania

BRAND PARTNER ASIA/OCEANIA

INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY

RESEARCH

GRAPHIC DESIGN

RETAIL DESIGN

FASHION DESIGN

COPYWRITING

ART DIRECTION

WEBSITE

ADVERTISING

MARKETING

LONDON TO TOKYO

CLIENT: TOPSHOP / TOPMAN

LOCATION: Japan

OVERVIEW: I was contracted by TOPSHOP/TOPMAN JP to assist with the launch strategies of the TOPSHOP/TOPMAN retail outlets across 11 locations throughout Japan. Beyond consulting my creative contributions ranged from graphic design, branded illustration, photography and English copywriting.

STRATEGY

RESEARCH

GRAPHIC DESIGN

COPYWRITING

ART DIRECTION

MERCHANDISING

ILLUSTRATION

MARKETING

ABSOLUT METROPOLIS

CLIENT: Absolut Vodka, TBWA\ Paris

LOCATION: Japan

OUTLINE: Absolut taps into Japan’s urban youth culture, where eccentric dress is a national pastime, with the ongoing “Absolut Metropolis” campaign, in which 11 of Tokyo’s “most colourful individuals,” as agency TBWA/Paris puts it, “express themselves through costumes,” photographed by Nadav Kander. The project, which marks the first time Absolut has collaborated with “young, nonprofessional creatives,” according to the client.”

OUTCOME:Creatively, I was contracted to contribute photo and video content for the behind the scenes feature and character vignettes used on the Absolut Metropolis campaign site and published media. Aside from these responsibilities, my company handled assisting in the campaign production as well as organize the Tokyo launch event and exhibition of Nadav Kander’s photos featured in the ads.

CAMPAIGN SITE CONTENT

PHOTOGRAPHY

VIDEO

TOKYO EVENT

TOKYO PRODUCTION

SHIFT HAPPENS

CLIENT: Nissan USA, True Agency

LOCATION: Japan

OUTLINE: Nissan Shift campaign highlighting the “Black Experience” and how elements of the experience are appropriated in different cultures far removed from the black American lifestyle. This campaign was launched in VIBE magazine and a corresponding billboard in Harlem NYC for Black History Month.

TOKYO PRODUCTION

LOCATION

CASTING

COORDINATION

BERLIN BALLERINA

CLIENT: Public Image

LOCATION: Japan

OUTLINE: Shot on location in Berlin, Germany for Japanese label and boutique Mystic. The story of a ballerina chasing her dreams was told in a series of photo ads and catalogs distributed through out Japan.

ART DIRECTION

PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY PRODUCTION

ADVERTISING

consulting

IMAGE MATTERS

CLIENT: Public Image

LOCATION: Japan

OUTLINE: Japanese Label Public Image have released a short film showcasing their 2010 fall / winter collection. Directed by Rikki Kasso and produced by label designer Jiro Tamaki Riyuu, the film underscores the 90′s counter-culture movement as a base of inspiration behind their forthcoming collection. Flirting with a much more progressive look, the brand attempts to redefine the street wear genre by accenting bits from fashion runways. Featuring music by Kasso’s friend and family Deantoni Parks.

ART DIRECTION

PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY PRODUCTION

FILM CREATION

FILM PRODUCTION

THE HILLS HAVE EYES

CLIENT: Public Image

LOCATION: Japan

OUTLINE: Japanese Label Public Image have released a short film showcasing their 2010 fall / winter collection. Directed by Rikki Kasso and produced by label designer Jiro Tamaki Riyuu, the film underscores the 90′s counter-culture movement as a base of inspiration behind their forthcoming collection. Flirting with a much more progressive look, the brand attempts to redefine the street wear genre by accenting bits from fashion runways. Featuring music by Kasso’s friend and family Deantoni Parks.

ART DIRECTION

PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY PRODUCTION

FILM CREATION

FILM PRODUCTION

STREET CHIC

CLIENT: RESTIR TOKYO

LOCATION: Japan

OUTLINE: RESTIR, with futuristic 30-ft walls of LED plasma displaying adverts for art installations in the 1st floor gallery, black marble floors, black and burgundy interiors designed by French architect Laur Meyrieux, concierge desk, and mega brand pieces from Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent and a range of Chanel bags that are unique to this store. This is only the second boutique outside Chanel’s own stores Karl Lagerfeld has bestowed this honour upon.

OUTCOME: The ground floor gallery was infused with the artwork and fashion of Rikki Kasso for Tokyo Fashion Week. Large scale ink paintings on wood and paper floated on the walls, beautiful acrylic mounted photo prints hung beside the cryptic collaboration art print t-shirts. The exhibition also marked the pre-release of “Tokyo” – a 280 page lyrical photo bible of Rikki Kasso’s infamous photos of Tokyo life. A pre-release book signing was held on the opening night. The month long exhibition marked the start of Tokyo Fashion Week and hosted thousands of international visitors and fashion aficionados.

FASHION DESIGN

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

PHOTOGRAPHY

VIDEO

TONNES OF FUN

CLIENT: VICE Magazine

LOCATION: Worldwide

OUTLINE: The Wanpaku series was featured in Vice Magazine in the “Kids Edition” with an accompanying text article. This photo voyeuristic reportage style is a definitive signature from Kasso’s photography. The Wanpaku photo series continues to be shown in art galleries globally.

PHOTOGRAPHY

WRITING

VIDEO

TOKYO THE BOOK

PUBLISHER: Powershovel Books

LOCATION: Worldwide

OUTLINE: Rikki Kasso’s “Tokyo Undressed” photo series has garnered him awards and accolades in the world of contemporary photography. An exquisite selection of these photographs can be found in bookstores and museums worldwide with the 2010 release of “Tokyo”, a 280 page photo journal published by Japanese art book publisher Powershovel Books.